Forever Giving- Why we donate to charity and why other fashion brands should too.

Corporate social responsibility was, and still is, a big business phrase. It’s the notion that businesses, corporations and brands should be aware of the social, ethical, moral and environmental impact of their actions, and seek to do good rather than harm.

Although it is a very broad concept which businesses interpret very differently, it is woven into the very fabric (excuse the pun!) of Two for Joy.

After the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013, it was clear to me that the global fashion industry had a huge way to go to catch up with the CSR movement, as much of the industry was opaque and murky, as opposed to clear and transparent, in areas such as human rights, worker safety and environmental impact.

Two for Joy was created to balance this equation by being open and honest with both our suppliers and customers. We insist that our suppliers and manufacturers are transparent with us about the various stages of production so we can pass on honest information to our customers. Although we are always striving to be better, we have implemented practices to ensure that we remain ethical and build a sustainable brand and industry.

Another thing that we do - which was important to me right from the start - is give back to charity. It’s not something that we have done as a knee jerk reaction, and certainly isn’t something we do as a marketing ploy. Giving back is part of our business model and something that we have implemented since our first day of trading.

Our chosen charity is the Mayamiko Trust, an innovative and forward thinking organisation that offers training and educational courses to the most disadvantaged people in Malawi and other parts of Africa, teaching them a transferable and creative skill such as tailoring or bee-keeping.

This fabulous charity also educates people to utilise their new skills and build businesses, offering business and financial education workshops and finance schemes. Rather than simply giving out money, Mayamiko nurtures creative talents and teaches skills, which empowers people to build a better life for themselves and their families, alleviating poverty.

This is something that struck a chord with me, and we donate 15 per cent of the sale price of every item to this charity.

Other fashion brands such as TOMS have brilliant charity partnerships and schemes, and it’s something that we feel that every fashion brand should do - and an easy step to take to help the industry as a whole do good rather than harm.